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Cycling in Waterloo Region
Seriously you want to put a bike trail through the middle of a golf course! Have you ever been hit by a golf ball? This has nothing to do with “golf people” losing thier minds but more to do with the general safety of individuals.
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(05-10-2018, 09:19 PM)Pheidippides Wrote: The city of Kitchener could improve that link by running a 3-4m path across Rockway golf course:


No different than a cart path and they already own the land.

To save 400 metres? The route around the golf course that Canard posted is scenic and low traffic. There's probably a lot more places that people are riding that could use infrastructure improvements before we go paving through golf courses to make shortcuts.
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I was just putting an idea out there. There's already a 4-lane road through the golf course anyway (Courtland).

From Sydney/Nyberg where the IHT terminates using Canard's route it is 1.7km. The direct route across would be 700m. That's 1km savings, not 400m.

Why couldn't it be used as a route in the winter? Or outside of course hours? Or outside of peak hours; the course is pretty dead midday during the week (lost money last year as a city enterprise).

I have in fact been hit by a golf ball. I have also been hit by a truck. I can tell you the truck hurt a lot more. I would much rather take the small chance of getting hit by a small object 0.7% of my mass from a distance than a large object 100x my weight up close. You wouldn't be crossing a driving range it would cross four fairways at their midpoints.
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
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I dunno where you're mapping but I've mapped it out again and only get a 500m difference in distance and a 3m savings in elevation gain. I used ridewithgps and here's the screenshots. I don't know what an actual path would end up looking like but I dunno that the topography would favour a straight line across the park so the distance saved might be less, especially if saving trees is a factor.

I think the risk of getting hit by a truck on Floral Cr or Doon is really low so I'd rather see the limited cycling budget spend on more problematic areas in the city first.

I don't really even like golf so don't think it's about the that... I could wave a magic wand I'd want the city re-naturalize it and turn it into something like monarch woods or steckle woods; more people would probably use it. If that ever happened, then a path makes sense.
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That is such a huge chunk of land to have wasted on a golf course. The potential with turning it into a public park is immense.
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(05-11-2018, 07:08 AM)jamincan Wrote: That is such a huge chunk of land to have wasted on a golf course. The potential with turning it into a public park is immense.

Park, arboretum or botanical garden, I agree.  The three holes across Courtland could be sold off for development.  With golf in decline, and an abundance of private courses, I can see it happening some day.  'And then they could put a trail through the centre of it!
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(05-11-2018, 06:46 AM)clasher Wrote: I dunno where you're mapping but I've mapped it out again and only get a 500m difference in distance and a 3m savings in elevation gain. I used ridewithgps and here's the screenshots

I stand corrected. When I originally measured I only included the distance from Sydney/Nyberg to Doon and forgot to include the distance on Doon/the cut-through/Carlin. Doing that I get 1.1km or 600m shorter. So yes, not much difference. That will teach me to stay up late.
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
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Here's a fun photo taken yesterday.

Vehicles parked in bike lane, vehicle blocking hydrant, cyclists forced into traffic.

[Image: 8207175032716817420%253Faccount_id%253D0]
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That’s a perfect illustration. Mind if I tweet that out (with credit)? Or if you already have, I’d love to retweet it.
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For a bonus, it's a Lexus.
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I emailed Eric, and he got back to me. The meat:

Quote:The Region's contractor is currently in the process of making arrangements to install Emergency No Parking signs on the west side of King Street between Erb Street and Bridgeport Road.

A public letter was recently issued advising that the interim parking conditions will no longer be permitted, and these parking infractions will be enforced by City by-law staff once the bike lane work is complete.
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>once the bike lane work is complete

Once again implying that something is stopping them from doing this now.
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Nothing should be stopping them from enforcing the rules around fire hydrants, period. That is willful ignorance. It's an especially sore point for me, considering that's the fire hydrant you would use to put out the fire that burned down Ish & Chips, the convenience store, and apartments in what is now the parking lot for the clocktower building.
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Quote:A grace period has been provided as the bike lanes were not complete and the remaining work was scheduled for this spring/summer.

Messaging will need to be conveyed about the new streetscape and bike lanes once the work is complete with cycling symbols / signage.

It is our intent to communicate this message while the work is underway and advise the public when the bike lanes are open for use.

This may take some time and we'll continue to monitor when the work is finished.
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(05-10-2018, 09:59 PM)jamincan Wrote: Sometimes I'll go if someone yields for me and it's obviously safe to go. If it isn't I just stand my ground, look them firmly in the eyes and shake my head no. It usually seems to work.

Some drivers like to be the boss of the intersection/crossing and won't take no for an answer.
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